TRUMBULL COUNTY Council vote allows new home construction to start

The decision has no bearing on proposed condominiums.
By STEPHEN SIFF
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
CORTLAND -- City council unanimously voted Tuesday to lift a measure that banned WAE Corp. and developer Anthony Petrocco from building more homes on Laura Lane and Anthony Circle in the Shepherds Hill neighborhood.
Council had imposed the ban several months ago, saying it would stay in place until the developer fixed drainage problems in the new neighborhood.
Last week, safety services director Donald Wittman determined that the company had completed a list of repairs and projects required by the city. Those upgrades included repaving a section of Laura Lane to direct water to catch basins, and digging a drainage swale between state Route 305 and Laura Lane and Evon Circle.
The improvements appeared to help during recent heavy rains, Mayor Curt Moll said. "It did real well," he said.
Flooding
The area was hard-hit by flooding last summer, and a subsequent investigation by the city found that WAE Corp. installed storm drains in the neighborhood smaller than what had been previously approved.
With the ban lifted, the company will be able to build single family homes on four lots it owns on the Laura Lane and Anthony Circle.
Atty. Robert Burkey, who represents WAE Corp., could not be reached today to comment.
Council's decision Tuesday does not address a WAE Corp. proposal to build six-plex condominiums on four lots along Route 305, just beyond the mapped boundaries of Shepherds Hill.
That project, which was opposed by many neighbors, has been stalled by a zoning commission decision not to zone the property for multifamily homes. The city's zoning board of appeals declined to reverse the zoning commission's decision.
City and company officials plan to meet to see if they can agree on a use for the land, Moll said. The company could appeal the zoning decision to Trumbull County Court of Common Pleas.
Council also voted to restrict on-street parking on Evon Circle to the north side of the street. Parking had been allowed on both sides, blocking fire hydrants and making emergency vehicle access more difficult, Moll said.
siff@vindy.com